


The Tutor

by Dancingdog



Series: Ace of hearts [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Acephobia, Asexual Castiel, Biphobia, Cas doesn't get 'fixed', Dean starts out as a jerk, Homophobia, John Winchester's A+ Parenting, M/M, Minor Relationships, Straight Dean, fluff!, haha - Freeform, i.e. Dean/others
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-14
Updated: 2015-10-14
Packaged: 2018-04-26 09:23:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4999411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dancingdog/pseuds/Dancingdog
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean is captain of the soccer team and along with his brainless minions, the worst high school bully poor asexual Cas has ever encountered. After Cas and Dean get into a fight (complete with broken noses and bloody knuckles), Castiel begins to see a change in Dean's attitude. They stiltedly agree to tutor each other on their weakest subjects and maybe Dean isn't so straight after all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Tutor

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know if 16/17 is considered underage for sex in the U.S.A (it's not in Britain) so I'll warn you now that Dean does mention having had sex, but there's absolutely no detail. I am straight, so I apologise if I have anything wrong with the asexual, bi or gay stuff. Please correct me if something isn't right (I don't want to offend anyone). One last thing: as I live in England, I have no idea how the American school/college/uni system works, so feel free to correct that if I have that wrong as well. 
> 
> Anyway, hope you enjoy and feel free to request a story. I'll do anything your warped imaginations can come up with (except Wincest)! :D

Castiel had never despised anyone more than he despised Dean Winchester.

Dean was captain of the school's soccer team and had been for quite a while. He was the definition of 'jock' and his friends and teammates were no better. They were arrogant, cruel and downright unbearable to anyone who was different from them.

Unfortunately, Castiel ticked that box.

From what Cas could tell, Dean and his friends' intelligences reigned in the low zeros and they bullied anyone who was anything other than heterosexual, anyone who enjoyed the sciences and maths, the art students and basically anyone who wasn't in their clique.

Granted, they didn't all go after every single one of these people, but each member of Dean's team could be found abusing their chosen nerd or geek at one time or another.

When somebody had let it slip that Castiel was asexual and Dean's troupe had overheard, Castiel found himself the focus of many of their attacks, both verbal and physical.

Because the high school was in such a poor area, many of the team's victims went unheard in their pleas to stop the bullying and Dean and his friends were rarely ever confronted because their skill in sport was the only thing that was bringing the school recognition.

Castiel had long ago resigned to the fact that he would only stop being a victim once he left high school.

_Two years to go._

"Hey look, it's the worm."

Cas sighed as Alistair's voice rang out over the dining hall. He wished his adopted brothers were still in the school with him, but since they'd moved to college, he'd been on his own against his tormentors (much to his brothers' horror) and he and his friends had noticed an increase in attacks since their absence.

Balthazar scowled at Alistair as Gadreel contemplated sticking his fork in the boy, but as Azazel, Ruby, Gordon and Dean came to join their friend, Cas realised that it was going to be a long lunch hour.

Dean shoved his way onto their table, his minions copying him and he wrapped an arm around Cas' shoulders, a sneer on his face.

Both Gadreel and Balthazar stiffened, ready to defend Cas if need be, but Cas just sighed and waited for Dean to get on with his daily mocking. He may be a complete science-lover, but it didn't mean that he couldn't use his fists if need be.

"So, I've been wondering," began Dean and Cas had to restrain himself from punching the teen there and then. "If you're an 'asexual', does that mean you can reproduce with yourself like a worm does, or does it just mean you have something wrong with your brain?"

Cas ignored him, opting to continue with his lunch. Maybe if he didn't acknowledge that Dean existed, he would just go away.

"You got something wrong with your ears too?" Dean shoved at him and winked at Balthazar and Gadreel when they made to move but were held down by Azazel and Alistair.

When Castiel refused to answer, Dean motioned Ruby over.

"See, Gordon told me that asexuality is when you're not sexually attracted to anyone, but I want to prove him wrong and Ruby was quick to volunteer when I told her _how_ I wanted to prove him wrong."

Castiel's grip on his knife tightened subtly. He had a feeling he knew where this was going. It wouldn't be the first time someone had tried it with him.

Suddenly, Dean yanked Cas away from the table and Ruby, dressed in all her scantily clad glory, perched in his lap, a devilish smirk on her face.

Cas tried to dismiss the uncomfortableness he now felt and closed his eyes to clear his mind. He wanted to ignore how the dining hall had become quieter as people turned to watch, pity or curiousness in their eyes.

He felt all kinds of wrong when Ruby began grinding in his lap, over-exaggerated moans falling from her lips as she pressed harder and harder against him. He tried to mask his panic when he felt Dean physically forcing him to endure the sadistic punishment; it wouldn't do to show weakness in front of these people.

As Ruby leaned forwards and roughly claimed his mouth, Cas felt sick. She grabbed his jaw and forced her tongue past his lips, taking sick pleasure in probing every part of his mouth and he grimaced at the taste of smoke, drugs and alcohol on her breath.

He tried to push her away but Dean yanked his arms behind him and Castiel had to sit through a few minutes of Ruby's hand wandering down to his crotch.

He heard Balthazar shout his name in pure anger as Ruby undid his zip and he tried fruitlessly to shimmy out of her reach, panic setting in.

She laughed and stuck her hand down his trousers and Cas felt a surge of fear as she grasped at his boxers.

At that moment, a teacher walked past. He didn't look their way, probably hadn't even noticed the disgusting event happening right under his nose, but it was enough to make Ruby leap off him and for Dean to release his arms.

As the teacher walked to the other end of the canteen, Dean glared at Cas as if he was in the wrong.

"What's the matter with you? How can you not feel anything when you've just had a girl all over you? You're seriously messed up." And with that Dean and his gang got up and left the hall.

When they were out of sight and the room had started to fill back up with chatter, Cas began to shake, hands fumbling to pull up his zip.

Balthazar and Gadreel quickly grabbed his arms and led him out of the room to an isolated patch of grass behind the art block.

By now, Cas' eyes had welled up with tears and he buried his face into Balthazar's shoulder as the events of the day caught up with him.

Balthazar held him tightly, whispering soothing words into his ear and Gadreel was a solid presence by his side, making sure nobody decided to round the corner to see what was going on.

How could anybody treat another person like that? How could somebody willing cause another human fear? Why did Dean hate him so much? What had he ever done to the boy to make him want to hurt Castiel like that?

Once again, he considered asking his parents for a school transfer, but he knew he'd be denied, like he had in the past. Mr. and Mrs. Novak may have adopted him into their family, but they made it clear that he wasn't as well liked as their own children. Gabriel, Lucifer, Michael and their cousin Raphael had been enraged to find that Cas was being mistreated just because he had told his parents that he was asexual. He remembered how they argued with their parents for weeks about how Cas was part of the family and he shouldn't be thought of any different just because of his sexuality, but no matter what they said, their parents wouldn't listen and Cas was left to fend for himself in school.

They kept telling him that it was just _'a phase'_ and he _'hadn't found the right girl yet'_. 

Gabriel had been so furious that he'd come out as gay just to take some of the focus away from Castiel. Their parents hadn't been too happy and had commented that it was Cas' fault for corrupting their actual son, but Gabriel had succeeded in his plan to stop Cas from being targeted and he soon became the 'problem child' in the eyes of his mother and father, who were insistent that Gabriel had some kind of contagious disease. 

Fortunately, now that Gabriel lived at university, he didn't get as many spiteful comments as he used to and he seemed a lot happier for it. Cas couldn't wait for the day he could move out to uni and get away from his parents and the likes of people like Dean.

When Cas returned home that evening, after assuring his friends that he'd be fine, he locked himself in his room, refusing to tell his parents why his eyes were so red and puffy. Not for the first time, he wished one of his brothers was home so they could just talk and make him forget about the day with one of their stupid movies or their ridiculous tastes in music.

Mind made up, he picked up his phone and dialled Gabriel's number, his spirits lifting when a cheery voice answered and his heart much lighter when he crawled into bed in the early hours of the morning.

 

* * *

 

A couple of weeks later, Cas decided to spend some of his weekend at the local park. He packed some sandwiches and his homework into a bag and made his way over to his favourite spot overlooking the lake. He was away from the happy laughs of the younger children as they scrabbled around the play area and he relaxed, out of sight behind a cluster of trees as he watched a swan skim the water gracefully before landing near the bank. 

He took out his homework and listened to the sound of birds twittering and singing joyfully above him, mind away from the troubles of home and school.

That was until a familiar voice snapped him back to reality.

"Hey, Winchester! You'll never guess who's hiding behind the bushes!" Called Gordon Walker gleefully and Cas' heart sunk as most of the soccer team came into view.

"Cas!" Sneered Azazel. "You look lonely."

"Let us keep you company," grinned Alistair and Cas scrambled to pick up the sheets of paper scattered over the floor.

Before he could get to one of his textbooks, it was snatched from the ground and the soccer team gathered around him.

"Physics? Sounds dull," snorted Alistair as he chucked the book to Azazel.

"He's such a nerd," laughed Azazel as he threw the book at Castiel, who glared at them when pain shot up his arm.

"Wouldn't you rather be doing something more fun?" Purred Lilith, one of the school's cheerleaders and Cas' eyes narrowed as he shoved the rest of his homework into his bag.

"No and I'd like to leave now." He climbed to his feet and turned his back on them, making his way up the hill to get to the clearing above, but a hand on his shoulder pulled him back.

"Now, now, Castiel. Is that any way to treat a lady? She's offering you a favour. After all, you'll never get another opportunity to kiss a girl, will you? Who'd want someone like you?" Asked Bartholomew and Cas' teeth grated against each other. 

"Get lost," he growled and whirled around once more.

He yelped in surprise when he was pinned to the ground, Bartholomew's body covering his and he was distinctly aware of how close they were. He squirmed uncomfortably, trying to loosen the other boy's grip, but he paused when he heard Dean's voice.

"Bart's right, Cas. You should take Lilith up on her offer and I'm willing to bet that Ruby will join in just for kicks. That's a pretty sweet deal. What do you say? A chance to prove that you're not the prude everyone thinks you are."

Cas didn't say anything as he once again struggled against his attacker. Bart had some difficulty holding on, so he shifted until he was practically sitting on Cas, his hands pinning Castiel's above his head.

Cas' eyes widened at the awkward position and he bucked upwards, trying to throw the other boy off.

Unfortunately, Dean's drones took it to mean something else.

"Wait, is he gay?" Asked Lilith in astonishment and Alistair's and Azazel's expressions grew disgusted.

"He's got to be. That's why he didn't like Ruby touching him and it's why he won't go with you now," said Gordon, a thick scowl on his face.

Dean raised an eyebrow. 

"Is that true Castiel? Are you enjoying having Bart's hands on you?"

A repulsed look crossed Bartholomew's face as he stared down at Castiel and Cas snarled, having finally lost his patience with the idiots.

"Get off me."

Bart grasped his arms tighter and Cas placed a carefully aimed knee to his groin. The other boy howled and slid off Cas in agony and Cas clambered to his feet.

"Yeah. Best experience of my life," he drawled sarcastically as he glared at Dean. "Why don't you go and pay your prostitutes to put some decent clothes on?" He said as he glanced at Ruby's skimpy top, barely covering her breasts and the tightest shorts Cas had ever laid eyes upon resting low on her hips.

"And whilst you're at it, you can go back to the gym with your boyfriends, because nothing says 'heterosexual' like fifteen men getting naked in the showers together after a big, sweaty game of sports."

Dean's eyes widened as his friends' gazes snapped between him and Cas, as if encouraging Dean not to take that kind of behaviour from a weedy, little science geek.

Cas was not prepared for the blow across his jaw.

Dean's friends jeered and clapped, shouting insults at Cas and mocking him as he crumpled to the floor from the impact.

Dean looked ready to retreat, but Cas was sick and tired of all the bullying so he leapt to his feet and turned Dean around until he could smash his fist against his nose.

Dean shouted in pain and stumbled backwards, his friends suddenly silent from shock. Nobody had ever retaliated back to them before and now they were looking at Dean with almost lost expressions as blood trickled from their Captain's nose.

Dean was holding his broken nose, his eyes blazing at Castiel, but otherwise making no move to fight back.

Suddenly, Gordon shoved Dean towards Cas and the soccer team formed a ring around them both, each chanting _'fight, fight'_ as they sneered at Cas cruelly.

Dean took a glance around the ring and Cas immediately held his fists up in front of his face. He didn't care if he lost this fight, which was more than likely, all he cared about was hitting Dean back for all the times he'd been mocked or treated like a plaything by him.

Dean saw his defence pose and he frowned and put a hand to his nose. When it came back bloody, he growled and took a swing at Cas.

Cas dodged the first punch and managed to get one in of his own and before long, they were both on the ground, tussling, kicking and fists flying at each other. Dean got the upper hand and managed to give Cas a black eye when he straddled him, holding him on the floor, but he grunted when Cas' knuckles connected with his stomach and he slammed a fist down on Cas' chest. Cas groaned and tried to throw Dean off but to no avail.

It was only when a young voice called out _"Dean!"_ and a little boy with a mop of soft, brown hair stared at them from further up the hill, tears in his eyes did Dean finally pause.

"Sam?" He said quietly and the little boy took off, running back up the hill, his twelve-year-old legs carrying him as fast as they could.

Dean jumped (a little shakily) to his feet and made to follow the young boy, but Gordon grabbed his shoulder (and Cas took great satisfaction in the wince that Dean made).

"Dean, what are you doing? Finish him off!" Said Gordon as he gestured to Cas and Cas' stomach dropped. He wasn't sure how much longer he'd be able to take of their fight. Dean was much stronger than him after all those years of soccer training; Cas wouldn't be able to stand for much longer.

"Get off me," hissed Dean and he shoved at Gordon before limping up the hill.

Cas was certain that the rest of the soccer team were going to pounce on him, but they just... dissipated. With a few grumbles and a lot of filthy looks in his direction, the team broke off into little groups and went about their own business, but not before Alistair and Azazel each took a kick at his bruised body and stalked off.

Cas gathered his things (groaning in pain every so often) and limped back to his house, where he had to endure two hours worth of yelling at from his parents who found it disgraceful that he'd obviously been in a fight.

He didn't see any use in defending himself and marched upstairs, trying not to dwell on his grounding sentence of two months.

 

* * *

 

A couple of days later, Cas, Balthazar and Gadreel found themselves relaxing under the bleachers, away from prying eyes in the cafeteria. Cas had grown tired of people asking him why he looked like he'd been run over by a bus and his friends had agreed to meet somewhere less crowded, but not before asking him the very same question that everybody else had.

When he told them, they had both stiffened and vowed to kidnap Dean and throw him and his body bag into a ditch by the end of the week. It worked in cheering Cas up.

They chatted quietly as they ate their lunch, but Gadreel froze as he spotted a familiar figure approaching.

Cas' eyes wandered to the figure curiously, before boiling anger bubbled low in his belly and he tensed as the other boy limped over to them.

Balthazar and Gadreel slipped in front of Cas, shielding him from Dean but the other boy held his hands up, gaze lowered.

"Where's your mindless minions, Jockstrap?" Drawled Balthazar and Dean glowered, before he caught himself and looked away.

"I wanted to come alone."

"Nice nose job," smirked Gadreel when he saw the purple swellings and Cas couldn't help but feel a little proud at that.

Dean scowled before deflating with a sigh.

"I wanted to apologise to Cas for hitting him the other day. I shouldn't have done it and I'm sorry."

Cas raised a surprised eyebrow. Since when did Dean Winchester apologise to anyone?

"If you're expecting to be forgiven, just like that, then you're in for a shock."

If Dean seriously thought that apologising for hitting him one time was going to stop Cas from retaliating the next time Dean decided to assault him, verbally or physically, then he needed his head checking.

"Look, man, I'm not expecting anything, I just came over to apologise. That's it. If you don't want to accept it, that's fine. I've done my part."

Balthazar snorted.

"Why are you apologising anyway? I've never seen you show regret for anything or anyone you've hurt. Why the sudden sappiness?"

A brief look of guilt flashed across Dean's face, but it was gone too quickly for anyone to make any speculations. He turned away.

"My little brother saw me beating up Cas the other day and he wouldn't look me in the eye afterwards until I promised that I'd come and sort things out between us." He frowned bitterly. "I'm supposed to be a role model for Sammy and that's not how I want to raise him. I don't want him thinking that it's ok to hurt people. He's a good kid and I don't want him falling into the same traps that I did."

 _Woah._ Since when did Dean Winchester admit to having feelings for someone else? Since when did he care for anyone other than himself? And what did that mean: _'the same traps that he did'_?

When nobody spoke, Dean shuffled his feet awkwardly as if realising that he'd given a little more information than he'd wanted to.

"Well then, I guess I'll see you guys around," he coughed and turned on his heel.

"If you think this changes anything between us..." Cas heard himself saying. He was still angry with Dean, no matter how out of character his confession seemed. Dean had been his tormentor for as long as they'd been in high school; it was hard to forget all the bullying and abuse he'd suffered at Dean's and his friends' hands.

Dean growled.

"Don't worry, I don't." And with that he stalked off.

Cas frowned. That was odd. He'd never seen Dean reconcile with anybody, not even his own teammates. Why had he felt the need to come to Cas?

He realised if he didn't find out, the question would eat at him all day and possibly for the rest of the week. 

After working through the pros and cons, Cas finally caved as his curiousness got the better of him (once again) and he asked to be excused from Gadreel's and Balthazar's company for a few minutes. They looked ready to protest (too perceptive for their own good), but Cas did that confused little frown that he was so good at and he tilted his head slightly and his friends sighed and let him go.

Cas smirked. _Works every time._

He jogged (with some difficulty due to his bruised left leg) around the corner he'd seen Dean disappear around and caught up to the other boy before he reached the field where everyone congregated at lunch.

He did a quick swoop around to make sure nobody was watching, before grabbing Dean's shoulder.

Dean hissed in pain and Cas recoiled.

"Sorry."

Dean whirled to face him and confusion flooded his expression before his eyebrows rocketed downwards.

"What do you want?"

Cas wondered if this was a wise idea.

"If you don't want your little brother growing up like you or your friends, then why do you act the way you do? Why do you pick on so many people?"

Dean looked shocked at Cas' bluntness, but then his expression turned cold, his gaze icy.

"I don't need to explain anything to you."

He tried to turn around but Cas grabbed his arm.

"Except you already have. You've already told me that you raise your little brother and that you're his role model, which makes me wonder about your parents. You've already told me that you've got morals, because you've admitted that you don't think it's right to hurt people. You've made it quite clear that you really care for your brother otherwise we wouldn't be having this conversation and you've implied that you're not happy with how your life's turned out. Did I miss anything?"

Dean scowled. "Leave me alone."

 _"No."_

Cas was surprised at how confident his voice sounded. So was Dean by the looks of it.

"Excuse me?"

"No. I won't leave you alone because I don't understand you. You're not happy yet you don't try to change your life. You've told your brother that you'd apologise to me but I can guarantee that you'll go back to your friends and start bullying again. You know that hurting people is wrong yet you will carry on doing so despite this. I don't get it."

Dean huffed. "Alright! I'll tone the asexual stuff down, okay?"

Cas threw his hands up. "That's not the point! What about all those other people who have self-confidence issues because of the things you and your friends say? Some of the insults you so casually throw around will stay with certain people for life! You might not even remember them the next day, but one nasty comment could shape a person's entire life. It wouldn't be so bad if you didn't know what you're doing is wrong, but you do and you continue with it anyway! I want you to explain why. I want to understand why you keep doing something that you're not happy about."

Dean was silent for so long that Cas didn't think he'd get an answer, but then Dean closed his eyes and sighed; a pained, regretful noise that only sparked Cas' curiousness further.

"...I got in with the wrong crowd. I thought I was clever; moving in with the popular crowd, but I soon realised that if I wanted to stay in with them, I'd have to act like them as well. I guess I did that a little too well." He held up his wrist with the Captain's band around it.

"Why would you want to get in with the school bullies?" Cas asked, surprised at Dean's willingness to explain himself. Another thing that seemed so out of character for him.

"I moved around a lot as a kid. Didn't have many friends. Thought being popular was a nice change. I guess I didn't think of the consequences."

"Then why didn't you stop? Why didn't you just walk away?"

Dean shuffled his feet uncomfortably.

"I... I liked all the attention. I mean, all schools have bullies. I thought picking on a few kids who would probably just brush it off would be the end of it and I'd be able to keep all these awesome friends. Except... the stuff they wanted me to pick on kids for... some of them I knew wouldn't be so easily forgotten, but I really wanted to prove myself to the team, so I went through with it. The more I did it the easier it got."

Cas felt fury burning inside him once again, but something wasn't sitting right...

"You said you raise your brother and you've admitted that you like attention... Dean, where are your parents?"

Dean looked away and Cas was certain he'd seen sadness in those green eyes.

"Parent. My mother died in a fire when I was four. Someone thought it would be a good idea to get drunk, break into the house and set Sammy's crib room on fire with my mother still in it."

Cas' mouth hung slightly open. That was horrible. He couldn't imagine what Dean must have felt at seeing his home in flames and his mother still inside.

"Dad was never the same afterwards. He turned into an alcoholic and things could turn sour pretty fast if he was in the mood. Sammy got the brunt of it and no matter how many times I tried to direct his attention away from my brother, Sam would say something to upset dad and there would be a screaming match and I'd be left to pick up the pieces. It's not as bad now, what with dad being constantly passed out from all the whisky, but every now and again, the yelling starts up and I have to look after them both in the fallout."

He closed his eyes.

"It's nice having someone pay attention to me for a change. That's why I joined a sports team. Well, that and a few other reasons. In soccer, you have to work together; everyone has an equal part to play. You have to communicate with each other to win. As a Captain, people look to you for the plan. I like that. I like feeling in charge for once."

Cas scolded himself for feeling sorry for Dean. Sure, he'd had a hard life for someone so young, but he was still a bully. He knew he was in the wrong, yet he had done nothing about it.

"I'm sorry that you had to go through all that, but it still doesn't excuse what you've done. Bullying people for their sexualities? Bullying people for their interests or intelligence? It's disgusting and you know it."

Dean squirmed.

"Dad's homophobic. Don't know why; he never used to be. After mom died, he kept drilling it into our heads that it was wrong to be anything but straight. I wanted to prove to him that I could be the perfect son that he wanted; another reason why I joined the soccer team. I thought if I told other people it was wrong to be anything but straight, I would somehow make my dad proud. It's a terrible thing to do, I know, but I was so desperate for his approval and still am sometimes, that I would do anything to make him happy. I hate myself for bullying people for things like that."

"Then stop."

"I can't! The team expects me to keep doing it. I don't want to lose their friendship."

"Dean, that's not friendship. They're no good for you! You have morals; you care way more than you let on. It's not too late to make a stand and walk away."

"I'd be out of the team."

"No. You might not be in the best favour with them, but they can't kick you out. You're good at soccer, really good. They lose you and they lose the best Captain the school's had in years."

"I don't know why you care so much, but I'm not the person you seem to think I am. I'm just as bad as them."

"No, you're not! I saw how you shoved Gordon out of the way just to get to your little brother. You didn't care how your team saw you then. All you cared about was making sure that your brother was okay and I know you'd do anything to keep him from being upset. Well _this_ is making him upset. What you're doing to innocent people on a regular basis makes him very upset."

"Why do you care?"

"At first it was because I wanted you to stop bullying people, but now I'm starting to see that maybe you're not as much of a jerk as I first thought. If you truly want to make your brother and yourself happy, then stop with all the insults and the targeting."

"...I won't have any friends."

"You'll be surprised how forgiving people can be if they see you stand up for what you believe in."

"I doubt it considering these are the people I mocked."

"Trust me. Stand up for them and they'll change their opinion of you."

Dean looked torn for a moment before he took a deep breath and nodded slowly.

"Okay."

Cas blinked in shock.

"Okay?"

Was Dean actually considering his words? The same Dean who had tormented him since the beginning of school? Had Cas' message seriously got through to the other boy or was this some joke that would come back to bite him later?

Dean looked down. 

"Yeah. Okay. I'll try."

He glanced at the playing field where his team were practising and Cas didn't want to test his luck any more than he already had.

"...Uhh... good. That's... great... I guess I'll see you around?"

Dean nodded and mumbled an agreement before making his way to the field.

Cas was about to return to his friends when he paused and called over his shoulder.

"Oh and Dean?" The other boy stopped and turned his head slightly.

"I'm sorry for punching you... and kicking you... and breaking your nose."

Cas swore he saw the briefest of smiles touch Dean's lips before he was running to join his teammates on the field.

 

* * *

 

"So tell me, is 'bisexual' another way of saying 'greedy'? Or is it that you just can't make your mind up?" 

Balthazar scowled at Alistair, contemplating whether or not he would get expelled if he dumped his hot soup all over the other boy's face.

Instead, he sidestepped him and made his way over to Cas, Gadreel and Jo.

"Maybe he just doesn't know where to put it," laughed Azazel and Balth had to restrain himself from picking up his knife.

Jo and Gadreel looked ready to murder the two boys and Cas was mouthing 'just ignore them' with a roll of his eyes.

"There has been something that's been bothering me for a while, though. If you're bisexual, does that mean that you're twice as likely to cheat on whoever you're with at the time? 'Cause who'd want someone like that?"

Balthazar whirled to face Alistair.

"You know what? I think you should-"

"Leave him alone, guys," grumbled a familiar voice and the whole room seemed to quieten as Dean Winchester made his way over.

"...What?" Asked Azazel, the confused frown on his face making him look like more of an idiot than he already was.

"I said 'leave him alone'. C'mon, we've got better things to do."

Alistair and Azazel glanced at each other and the rest of the soccer team began to mumble in hushed whispers.

"Like what? It's lunch! I thought you liked putting gays like him in their place."

Dean rolled his eyes. "He's not gay. He likes women too. And no, I'm not particularly fond of harassing people. We're supposed to be supporting teamwork, not isolating people."

Azazel hesitated as people began to snicker at him having been called out by his Captain and he flushed red.

"Thought you were straight, Winchester."

Dean pulled a face. "I am. Doesn't mean I have to bully people to prove it."

Alistair glared at Cas and Cas felt his heart sink. _Here we go..._

Alistair grabbed Cas from his seat and threw him towards Dean.

"You were alright beating him up the other day for being a freak. Then you went all AWOL and I saw you yesterday, sneaking off to apologise for something you should be proud of. What's wrong with you?"

Dean's gaze narrowed at Alistair.

"Why on Earth should I be proud of causing someone else pain? And don't call him a 'freak'. Now, can we get back to training? Most schools work their sports teams through lunch; there's no need for us to have an hour for lunch when we can eat through theory breaks."

Alistair's eyes widened and Azazel was looking suspiciously between Cas and Dean.

"Why should we work any harder than we have to?" Growled Alistair.

"Because if you truly wanted that sports scholarship, you'd be doing all you could to show the colleges your skills," snapped Dean, patience wearing thin.

Suddenly, Alistair laughed condescendingly. 

"Well, I don't want to work when I don't have to." He slung an arm around Balthazar's shoulder. "I want to stay right here and chat with my queer buddy." He smirked at Balthazar and Balth turned his nose up in disgust.

"Not if you want to stay on the team, you won't."

Alistair's head whipped around to stare disbelievingly at Dean and Cas was vaguely aware of the whole dining hall being silent as they watched the proceedings. Had Dean really just threatened one of his own teammates?

"You can't seriously mean that?" Said Alistair slowly and he seemed to look at Dean in a new light, like he was quickly becoming sports department enemy number one.

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Challenged Dean and Cas was surprised by the fierce determination in his voice.

Alistair looked ready to take up the challenge but thought better of it and slunk off back to the rest of the team.

Dean stared him out and only turned around when his team had settled down. He spared a glance at Cas and walked out of the hall, his team trailing after him, all looking a little lost, except Alistair, who was glaring daggers into Dean's back.

When Cas sat back down, Balthazar raised an eyebrow.

"Well that was weird."

Cas let the barest of smiles graze his lips.

"I know."

 

* * *

 

A week later and everyone was buzzing about what they'd heard during the soccer team's practice.

"What's going on with you, Dean? Ever since your little dork of a brother caught you fighting with that freak, you've been acting all weird," growled Alistair as Dean once again prevented him from picking on one of the younger kids for doing their maths homework out in the stands.

Dean narrowed his eyes. "Sam's not a dork and I thought I told you to stop calling Castiel a 'freak'."

"This is exactly what I'm talking about! You used to be tough. You used to not bother about what other people thought about you and now you're defending nerds left, right and centre. Whatever spell that asexual creep has got you under, snap out of it!"

"Castiel hasn't got me under any spell. I'm trying to make up for all the times I've wronged someone for something as petty as their favourite subject. I'm trying to apologise for the times that I blindly followed you into hurting somebody!"

Alistair laughed. "Are you kidding? Soon you'll be having periods! _'I'm sorry for all the times I said a bad word about you'_ ," he mocked.

"Why have we all got to be like you, Alistair? You think you're so perfect; a gift to mankind, but let me tell you: the only reason you have any social standing is because you're half decent at kicking a ball around a field. You have no real friends; the only reason people hang around you is because they think it makes them look good. Your so-called girlfriend is having affairs with three other people and you haven't even noticed! So don't go pulling other people to pieces when you don't have your own life in order, capisce?"

Alistair had to pick his jaw up from the floor.

"That's rich, you lecturing me. How's daddy? Still stewing in his own alcohol-induced vomit?"

Dean clenched his fists.

"Leave my family out of this. This is about your inability to treat people like actual human beings."

"I think this is more about you going soft on us. What's wrong? You gay for that freak, or something?"

Dean snorted. "I'm not going soft and I'm definitely not gay. Your behaviour is inappropriate for a sports team and if you continue to abuse people, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Alistair chuckled. "Maybe you're right. Maybe this isn't about you being gay; maybe it's about your deep-seated daddy issues and the fact that your father isn't even fit to look after himself, much less you and your brother. Say, didn't he hit Sam last week?"

Dean's face paled and Alistair laughed.

"Sam's turning out to be quite the rebellious child isn't he? Won't be too long before dear old dad puts him in his place for good."

Dean's expression turned stony.

"I'm taking you off the register. You're no longer needed at training. Good luck with that scholarship."

Alistair's face fell in shock as Dean turned and marched back to the changing rooms.

"Dean!" Called Alistair in outrage, but Dean was already gone.

Alistair vowed to make Dean pay for his decision.

 

* * *

 

"Castiel, I'd like to have a word with you after class," said Mr. Adler, head of the physics department, as he handed Cas his mock test results.

Cas took one glance at the bright red 'D' emblazoned on his paper and groaned. He really hated physics.

The lesson went smoothly except for the part where Castiel got every single answer wrong and when the bell rang for lunch, Cas watched the rest of his class file out, with Dean first to leave, as he was forced to stay behind and be lectured by his teacher about his poor grades.

"I'm sure you do this to hassle me. Your other grades are fine, but your physics grades are appalling. Do you not enjoy physics or is it that you just don't like me?"

Cas ducked his head. Both of those statements were true, but he wasn't about to admit that.

"Not at all, sir. I guess I just don't understand some of the concepts in physics."

Mr. Adler huffed. "You don't need to understand them, just learn them."

Cas wished that his teacher could feel his burning frustration.

"I know, sir. I can't seem to be able to do that though."

"Everyone else can. It's not hard, Castiel."

Cas wanted to scream. Why was his teacher insistent on trying to make him feel more stupid than he already felt? He already knew that he needed an 'A' if he wanted to get into college, yet this teacher didn't seem inclined to help him and preferred to make him feel as though he would never reach his goal.

"I'll try, sir," Cas responded defeatedly.

Mr. Adler showed no emotion as he turned back to his desk.

"See to it that you do, Castiel. I don't want to have to kick you out of the class for 'under-performing'."

Cas glared at his teacher's back before nodding stiffly and leaving.

He was surprised to find Dean hovering outside, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Heard you're struggling in physics." Cas' mouth pulled into a tight frown. Why did Dean think it was okay to eavesdrop on a private conversation?

Dean spotted the frown and looked down.

"I was wondering if you wanted to do a trade."

Cas raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not cheating."

Dean huffed irritatedly. "That's not what I meant." His face flooded with embarrassment and his gaze dropped to the floor.

"I'm failing biology and you're not half-bad at it. You're failing physics and I'm okay at that. I was wondering if we could... y'know... trade information or something?"

Cas' eyebrows hit his hairline. "You want us to tutor each other?"

Dean nodded and Cas was surprised. He had always thought Dean to be a bit dim when it came to academia, his sports always coming first; why on Earth would he think he'd be able to tutor Cas in something as mind-bogglingly complex as physics?

Dean noticed his hesitancy and rummaged in his bag for his test paper.

"I got an 'A' if that's what you're worried about."

Cas gaped at his results. Dean hadn't only got an 'A', he'd earned 100%.

 _Wait._ Dean was... smart?

"I mean, I know you get these all the time in your other subjects, but this is the one subject that I'm really good at and I was wondering if you want my help."

Cas blinked. Then he blinked again just to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

He wasn't.

"So, you want me to tutor you in biology and you'll tutor me in physics? Is that what you're asking?"

"I need at least a 'C' if I want to get into college. I'm getting 'F's," Dean said by way of reply. 

Cas paused. This... wasn't what he had expected. He hadn't considered that Dean might not have been as stupid as he let everyone believe, because nobody had ever seen his test results (nor had they asked him about them). He'd always thought that Dean's interests lay solely with sport; he hadn't dreamed that maybe he enjoyed the sciences.

Now Dean had sought him out for help and offered his own in return. Dean never asked anyone for help; not if it made him look weak in front of others or if it made him admit that he wasn't as perfect as everyone believed him to be. 

Cas took a deep breath; this may have been his worst tormentor through high school, but he really needed the help.

"Deal. You help me and I'll help you."

Dean looked both surprised and relieved at the same time.

"Oh... alright. Uh... how are we going to do this?"

"Are you free on saturdays?" At Dean's nod Cas continued. "We'll meet at the public library for a couple of hours; one for each subject. I'll help you with biology in the first hour, you help me in the second. Sound fair?"

Dean nodded, squirming slightly under Cas' gaze.

"Alright, I'll see you at two then, Dean," said Cas and he turned on his heel before giving the other boy a chance to reply. 

When he was out of sight, he sagged against a wall. What was he doing, offering to help out the school bully? Dean had made his life a nightmare and many others' too. Why did he think it was a good idea to help him?

Then again, Dean had stayed true to his word and had stood up against his so-called friends whenever they picked on anyone.

Maybe he deserved a second chance.

 

* * *

 

That saturday (the first weekend he'd been free of his grounding punishment), Cas took longer than usual to get ready. He wondered if Dean would even show up. Would the other boy revert back to old habits and bring his teammates along so they could mock him and laugh at him for believing that Dean had been genuine in his cry for help? Was this all part of some big plan that made him the butt of the joke? Or was Dean going to turn up, just as nervous as he was, hoping that Castiel hadn't ditched him at the last minute?

He decided not to dwell on these thoughts and made his way to the library, only pausing to tell his parents that he was _'going out'_. They glared at him as if his existence put a strain on their daily life.

When he turned up at the library, he spotted Dean sitting in the far corner, looking very out of place and nervously drumming his fingers on the arm of his chair. He didn't miss the brief look of relief that crossed his face when he noticed Cas entering.

When Cas neared the sitting area, he found it comical how Dean stood and almost offered his hand to shake, but then realised what he was doing and frowned before sitting back down.

"So... uh... you had a good week?" Dean asked, refusing to look at him.

"I guess," replied Cas, finding it both funny and pathetic how Dean had been reduced to a bag of nerves when he didn't have the entire school watching his every move.

"Oh... Same here," said Dean as he fiddled with a pencil.

Cas hummed and Dean shifted in his seat.

"Okay, look. I'm here to teach you how to do biology and you're here to teach me physics. That's it. We're not scheduling play dates here. We're here to learn. At four o'clock, we'll both go home and ignore that this ever happened until next saturday. Got it?" Asked Cas, already uncomfortable with having to give up two hours of his free time to his tormentor.

Dean nodded tightly and they soon began their awkward tutoring session.

Surprisingly, as they discussed the topics that Dean was struggling with in biology, Cas noticed Dean beginning to lose himself in the work. Cas explained the functions and layout of the kidney and Dean absorbed all the information eagerly, a small smile twitching at his lips whenever something clicked. 

Dean was a good listener.

"So what are these bits called?" Asked Cas as he pointed to a thin, curly pipe on the diagram.

"...Nephrons?"

"And what do they do?"

"They reabsorb water and salts and allow for excretion of waste materials and excess water."

Cas smiled. "Well done." Dean beamed back at him and Cas found his grin contagious.

"Your turn," said Dean as he packed away his books and Castiel glanced at the clock, amazed at how quickly the time had passed.

"Oh, right."

He unpacked his own books and so began their second hour, this time of physics.

By the end of Dean's tutoring, Cas realised he completely understood the differences between alpha, beta and gamma radiation and how they were made. He was shocked by Dean's competence and patience with teaching. Mr. Adler had never been so understanding with him, yet Dean had been willing to work through the problems step by step until he understood what he was looking at.

When their agreed time was finished, Dean offered a small, shy smile and held out his hand.

"Uh... thanks, Cas. That went... better than I expected." He hesitated, a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes. "Same time next week?"

Cas nodded with a tiny smile of his own as he shook Dean's hand and they quickly parted ways, each a little more confident in their weakest subjects.

 

* * *

 

Their sessions continued for the next six months and Castiel began to notice a change not only in Dean, but in himself too. He began to look forward to spending time with Dean on the weekends as it gave him a break from his unforgiving family life. He quickly found out just how bright Dean actually was and they began to lengthen their sessions into three hours, then four, until eventually they spent the whole afternoon together doing homework and tutoring. 

At first it was slow-going, but they found themselves learning more about each other; their families, their interests and hobbies and Cas was delighted to learn that Dean dabbled with guitar and had quite a pleasant singing voice when the mood struck him. Dean seemed more interested in the fact that Castiel could play piano and was rather good at it, too. 

They moved their studying sessions around, sometimes relaxing in the park and other times treating themselves at the local cafe. About two months in, Cas stiltedly suggested that maybe they could fit in another session that wasn't a saturday and had been pleased when Dean's face had lit up as if he had been thinking along the same lines. They agreed that wednesdays would be perfect for both of them.

It hadn't slipped Cas' notice that Dean was interacting less and less with his teammates outside of training and he would often drop by Cas and his friends to chat for a few minutes, before excusing himself to talk to his newly acquired girlfriend, Lisa.

At first Cas' friends had made it clear that Dean wasn't welcome and they would scowl and make pithy comments about him whilst he was in their presence. Cas had rebuffed them a few times and explained the situation and as time went on, his friends became less hostile and more accepting of Dean's genuine desire to chat for a few minutes.

Cas found himself beginning to like Dean and he enjoyed the time they spent together, amazed by how Dean kept finding ways to surprise him, such as how he was a fantastic mathematician. Dean shrugged it off and said that he liked to help his uncle Bobby with cars and that's why he was good with numbers.

Cas suggested that he should think of studying something with maths in it when he went to college, rather than become another everyday soccer player, not even guaranteed to get a job.

Dean had looked down sadly and said that he wasn't clever enough to do that and his dad had told him to stick with what he knew.

Cas developed a grudge against John Winchester, which soon morphed into hatred for the man when he realised just how little he cared for his sons and how much he belittled them both in public and at home. He told Dean that John didn't know what he was talking about and that Dean was one of the brightest students he knew. Sometimes, Sam would accompany Dean during their sessions and Cas would make sure that Sam knew he wasn't the failure that his dad seemed to think he was. He would ensure Sam knew how fantastic of a kid he was, Castiel feeling honoured to have met him and those days, Dean's eyes shone with appreciation for Cas as his little brother grinned wider than he ever had when he was at home. 

Dean seemed happier since they began their mutual tutoring sessions and he became more willing to stand up for what he deemed right in school. He would deter bullies and had somehow managed to apologise personally to every kid he'd ever picked on. Opinions of him slowly changed and after a few months, Dean was one of the most popular people in the school and this time, for the right reasons.

Cas noticed that he had become more confident after becoming friends with Dean and he wouldn't be afraid to say that he liked science or played in an orchestra. He wouldn't be scared of facing bullies who tried to pick on him for his sexual orientation because Dean was constantly reassuring him that all bullies were cowards and once you found their weak spot and used it against them, they wouldn't bother you again. He said that most bullies worked in 'packs' and if you shamed them in front of their friends, they would never live it down and you wouldn't have to worry about them again. Cas found what he said proved true.

Dean's smile was more genuine now and he and Cas would regularly hang out at the park with friends, or go to see a movie with Sam. They would stay out late, laughing and learning about each other, not particularly caring if their parents had anything to say about their tardiness. 

One saturday, when Cas was explaining the inner workings of the heart, Dean glanced at his new friend with a slight frown marring his face.

"Cas? I know this is a little off-topic, but y'know how you said you were asexual?" At Cas' nod Dean continued. "Well, I was reading about it and it said that every asexual is different. Some don't like any physical contact whilst others love hand-holding and all that stuff."

Cas raised an eyebrow, encouraging Dean to get to the point.

"I was wondering which one you are? I've never really asked before."

Cas huffed out a laugh at Dean's red face.

"I like all that 'hand-holding stuff'. I love kisses," he admitted awkwardly and Dean's face held a mixture of curiousness and mortification.

"...But you don't like sex at all? No interest in it whatsoever?" Prodded Dean.

"Not really. I've never thought about anyone in that way and I probably never will. I mean, maybe I will if I grow very close to someone and we share a profound bond or something, but I don't think I'll ever want to have sex with anybody."

Dean frowned thoughtfully. "I can't imagine never having sex with anybody all my life. Don't you want to try it at least once before you die?"

Cas laughed at Dean's puzzled expression.

"You saying I should put 'sex' on my bucket list?"

Dean grinned sheepishly when he realised what he'd said.

"Sorry, that was kind of insensitive."

"No problem. Maybe you should put 'virgin' on your bucket list," teased Cas.

Dean pulled a face. "I think that ship has already sailed."

"...I didn't need to know that, Dean."

"You probably didn't. Still, I don't get it. Do you not have any urges at all? Like when you see a hot chick or dude, do you not wonder what it would be like just to kiss them?"

Cas couldn't help but smile at Dean's inclusion of male and female. He hadn't batted an eyelid when Cas had admitted that he didn't have a preference for either gender and would happily enter a relationship with either if he was close enough to them.

"I have to have an emotional connection with someone to be interested in them. I find it weird that you can hook up with a random stranger whom you know nothing about. How can you want to be so intimate with someone who may have been a serial killer in their past life?"

Dean contemplated this before nodding.

"Touché."

Cas shook his head with a smile.

"Can we get back to the heart now?"

"Isn't that what we've just been discussing?"

"I don't recall having mentioned the bundle of His in our exploration of sexualities."

"Neither do I because I don't have a clue what that is."

Cas chuckled and began to explain.

 

* * *

 

 _"Cas!"_

Castiel turned at hearing Dean's gleeful shout and as he did, he was bowled over by the other boy, laughing when Dean's arms wound tightly around his body and pulled him into a bone-crushing hug.

"What is it, boy?" Asked Cas as though talking to an excited puppy.

Dean thumped him on the arm before shoving a few pages of paper at him.

"You got me an 'A'!"

Cas glanced at the bright red 'A' on Dean's biology mock and shook his head with a smile.

"No, you earned an 'A'."

Dean beamed and Cas felt his heart flutter. Dean had very low self-esteem as it turned out and to see him confident in himself for once made Cas proud. Also, Cas really liked Dean's smile. He quickly shook that thought from his mind.

"Thanks, Cas," said Dean softly, as if Cas had just done something deep and meaningful to aid Dean's life.

"Don't thank me, Dean. You're a lot smarter than you give yourself credit for. I knew you'd be able to do it."

Something flashed across Dean's eyes, but it was gone before Cas got a chance to study it.

"Well, lets hope that all those sessions paid off and you get the grade you want in physics. When do results come out again?"

Cas thought the sessions had already paid off; Dean's grade had improved and Cas had gained a new friend. If he didn't get the grade he wanted in physics, then Mr. Adler would just have to kick him out of the class.

"Tomorrow morning," replied Cas and Dean crossed his fingers with a grin.

"You're such a nerd," laughed Cas and Dean's grin got wider.

 

* * *

 

The bell rang for lunch and Cas waited all of three seconds after he'd left the classroom to pounce on Dean.

"What'd you get?" Dean asked, nervousness clear on his features and Cas found it endearing that the other boy was worried for him.

Cas grinned and held up his paper.

Dean read the large, printed 'A' on the front and his lips pulled into a proud smile. He yanked Cas into another hug and this time, Cas squeezed just as tightly back.

"Thank you, Dean," whispered Cas and Dean pulled away with a sparkle of mischief in his eyes.

"No, you earned it."

Cas chuckled and was surprised to find that he missed the contact with Dean when they pulled apart completely.

"I think we should celebrate. How about we go watch 'Age of Ultron' on saturday night? I'll pick you up at seven?"

Cas desperately tried to ignore how much that sounded like a date and tried even harder to ignore how much he suddenly wanted it to be one.

"Sure, sounds great."

Another something flashed behind Dean's eyes, but once again it was gone before Cas got a chance to analyse it.

"Awesome. I'll see you later, Cas," said Dean and he turned around and spotted his girlfriend leaving her own class.

Cas' heart cracked a little when Lisa pulled Dean into a hungry kiss and he walked down the corridor, unable to watch.

 

* * *

 

Two weeks later saw Dean furiously training on the field at lunch whilst his teammates snickered at him behind his back. He was wearing a thick scowl and kept slipping up in his game. The rest of the team (and some of the cheerleaders) found it funny to keep mocking him and telling him that maybe he wasn't _'cut out for soccer'_. They kept telling him how it was a _'man's sport'_ and that Dean should go back to his boyfriend. Dean resolutely ignored them and made another mistake, his mood darkening when his team laughed.

He got them back by making them do extra laps. He was still the Captain after all.

At the end of the practice, Dean got pulled aside by Castiel, who had caught the last few minutes of Dean's uncharacteristic match and he dragged him under the bleachers.

"What-?"

"Three months. I've been with her for three months and suddenly she says she's not interested anymore," seethed Dean and Castiel decided that he might as well just let Dean vent.

"Lisa?"

"Yes! Who else would it be?" Snapped Dean and then he ducked his head apologetically.

"Don't worry about it," assured Cas and then frowned. "Did she say why she wasn't interested?" A little part of him was secretly glad that Lisa had broken up with Dean, but he felt awfully guilty for thinking that and besides, Dean was his friend. He needed comfort right now.

"She thought there was someone else, so she went out and found someone else for herself."

Cas' eyes widened. "Why would she think you were cheating on her?"

Dean shrugged helplessly. "I don't know, but she said that I seemed distracted when I was with her. She said that I wasn't into it when we uh... when we made love."

Cas raised an eyebrow. "Is there someone else you've got an eye on?" He tried not to get his hopes up. He'd already worked out why he kept feeling possessive around Dean and why he hadn't gone out of his way to talk to Lisa. He knew why his heart kept doing flips when he was around Dean and why spending time with the other boy made him so happy.

It was a pity Dean was straight and loved sexual relationships.

"No," said Dean as his whole body sagged and Cas couldn't deny the twinge of disappointment even though he had expected Dean's answer.

"What have I done wrong?" Dean asked and it was so sorrowful, with so much self-loathing that Cas didn't stop himself from pulling Dean into a hug.

"You haven't done anything wrong, Dean. She's the one at fault. She cheated on you not the other way around. Don't let her get you down, you can do way better than her."

Dean buried his face into Cas' shoulder, content to let Cas see him like this when no one else was watching.

"I really liked her, Cas. She was my first steady relationship and I thought it was going great until last night." He sighed. "At least she told me in person rather than on the phone."

Cas squeezed him gently.

"Don't let it get to you. You have your whole life to have a relationship. Enjoy being a kid a little while longer. Maybe this could be a good thing?"

Dean snorted softly.

"How are you so positive all the time?"

"All part of my winning personality."

Dean chuckled and pulled away. He shot a watery smile at Cas and his gaze lingered a little too long on his friend, enough for Cas' pulse to speed up, before he was slapping his friend on the shoulder in gratitude and guiding him to the dining hall.

 

* * *

 

Over the remaining weeks up to summer break, Dean hit it off with a number of one night stands, determined to get Lisa out of his head.

Cas' heart broke a little more with every one. 

He tried to convince himself that it could never work with Dean, that the other boy wouldn't even consider him, but his heart refused to listen and he grew more and more attached to Dean until he eventually resorted to tactics such as reminding himself how Dean had behaved towards him when they first met; how much he'd tormented him for his asexuality.

Nothing worked.

Dean's bright smile and his sincere laugh lit up Cas' day and he could feel himself growing more infatuated with the other boy the longer Dean spent tutoring him, intent on making sure Cas got the best grades possible. He found it endearing how proud Dean was of him when he achieved something and he never once rejected an opportunity to spend time with Cas.

Dean became more inclined to wrap an arm around his shoulders or pat his back when they were teasing each other and all the physical contact was driving Cas insane.

Dean never stayed in a relationship longer than a week after Lisa, but none of the girls he went out with seemed to care; too busy boasting about how good of a lay he was.

It made Cas sick to think that they were using him for his body when Cas wanted to give Dean so much more.

Then he reasoned that Dean didn't seem to mind being used for sex (maybe he was using them too) and Cas would never be able to give him that anyway, so Dean probably wouldn't see it as Cas giving him more than those girls.

Cas watched Dean lean against the lockers as he chatted up a girl from his maths class, Anna. The girl's eyes lit up and she leaned in to claim his mouth.

Cas turned away. He couldn't watch this again.

Tomorrow was the final day until summer break and Cas wasn't sure if Dean would be too busy getting off with Anna during summer to be bothered with hanging out with him.

He meandered to his locker, heart heavy and found Balthazar, Gadreel and Jo giving him knowing glances. They'd worked it out just under two weeks ago why Cas seemed so distracted around Dean and at first they had been disapproving, telling him that Dean was first of all, straight and second of all, wholly interested in sex.

Cas told them that he already knew that but it didn't stop his brain from insisting that Dean was perfect. Eventually his friends' attitudes changed from disapproving to sympathetic and Cas told them where they could stuff their pity.

He told himself that he would spend time catching up with his brothers, who weren't coming home but would gladly pick him up if that's what he wanted.

As he sneaked another glance at Dean and Anna he knew that was definitely what he wanted.

 

* * *

 

Two weeks of summer came and passed and Cas felt lighter after visiting his adopted brothers two states over. He wasn't particularly looking forward to going back home, but his brothers had made him promise to call them if their parents decided to abuse him too much.

They had wanted to keep him with them and enrol him in one of the high schools near their campus, but Cas couldn't bear the thought of leaving all his friends back at home and his brothers had begrudgingly agreed to let him stay with their parents.

He tried not to think how much of that argument was based around Dean.

When he came back home his mother said that Dean had called for him at least half a dozen times that week and next time could Cas tell his friends that he was going away because his parents didn't need the headache of some snot-nosed kid calling for their disappointment of an adopted son every five minutes.

Cas ignored her and focused on the oddness of Dean calling at the house when they hadn't scheduled anything.

They never went inside each others' houses; too embarrassed at their parents and how they lived, so the only time they would knock for each other was when they had scheduled a time and place to meet and even that was rare as they usually just met up at the place.

Hearing that Dean had knocked for him despite knowing how Cas' parents were made his heart swell. Dean had risked getting in trouble with Cas' parents to come and see him.

He grabbed his phone (which he had left at home) to find a dozen missed calls from Dean and he couldn't help but smile.

He dialled Dean's number and grinned when Dean's voice answered loud and clear.

"Cas! Where've you been? I tried to contact you loads of times, but you weren't in."

"Sorry, Dean. I was at my bothers' campus for a fortnight."

"No problem. I guess it's a bit late now, but I was going to ask if you wanted to see that music show last thursday. That's why I came around." He paused and then added as an afterthought: "You weren't kidding about your parents, were you?"

Cas chuckled. "No. They really don't like any of my friends visiting the house."

"That sucks."

"It does."

"...Hey, you want to go to the park tonight? There's supposed to be a band playing. Nothing fancy, but it's still music, right?"

Cas grinned, attempting to convince himself that straight guys don't date asexual guys. 

"I would love to."

"Awesome."

So, later that night, Cas changed into something more appropriate than his old jeans and torn hoodie and made his way to the park.

He froze though, when he spotted Anna waving her hands about and yelling at Dean as though he'd just run over her dog.

Dean scowled at her impatiently and every so often, he would yell back and she would stamp her foot at him.

At one point, she glanced to her right and spotted Cas gawking at them both and this seemed to make her even more furious. She shouted at Dean some more and shoved at his chest, causing people to turn around in disapproval.

Dean quickly tried to quieten her when the band began to frown, but she wouldn't have any of it and shoved at him once again, this time harder.

Cas decided to step in.

"Hey, Anna, I think it's best you leave. You're making a scene and these people want to enjoy the music."

Anna snarled at him. "And here he is. What makes you think you have any right to tell me what to do? Why can't you just leave us alone, you creep?"

Dean growled as a confused frown crossed Cas' face.

"Leave him alone. He's done nothing wrong."

Anna snorted. "Sure he hasn't. It's not like you have wet dreams about him or anything."

Dean paled and Cas grew even more confused.

"Sure you haven't been banging him when you say his name instead of mine. It's bad enough when you do it in bed, but to say his name when we're just walking down the street together? Do you know how embarrassing that is? At first I thought it was just a slip, but when you kept doing it, I knew there was something going on between you. I can't believe you convinced me I was special! You told me that you really liked me! You told me that I wasn't like those other girls, that you wanted to finally try another relationship!" She paused and by now Dean was as white as a sheet, fists clenched in anger.

"Is that why Lisa dumped you? You were getting off with him?" She gestured to Cas and Castiel's frown deepened. What was she going on about? Didn't she know that he was an asexual and Dean was straight?

Suddenly, Dean growled lowly.

"We haven't done anything. Cas doesn't do sex. He is just a friend. I did like you and I did want to try a relationship with you. I don't like you any more."

Cas noticed the distinct lack of explaining the slip ups in calling the wrong name.

Anna laughed condescendingly and a few people around them shook their heads in disgust.

"You're pathetic. You honestly expect me to believe that? You're nothing but a lying cheat."

"I'm asexual," blurted Cas, puzzled frown still in place and Anna looked startled. She eyed Cas for a second before her face changed into something more horrified and she returned her gaze to Dean, whose expression was ice cold.

"Wait, so you...?"

" _No_ ," hissed Dean and then he turned on his heel and stalked off.

Cas glared at Anna and she stuttered for a moment before running in the opposite direction.

Cas shook his head and made to follow Dean.

When he caught up to him, they were deep in the park forest, dusk beginning to settle over the trees.

"Dean!" Cas called and Dean kept walking.

"Leave me alone."

Cas pulled a face. "Dean, wait."

He grabbed Dean's shoulder and the other boy turned around and pushed him away.

Cas scowled. "What was that for?"

"I said leave me alone." Dean started to turn again, but Cas was persistent (and a little hurt that Dean had shoved him) and grabbed his shoulder again.

Dean pushed at him harder this time and Cas stumbled backwards, but Dean didn't turn again.

"Why did you follow me?" Snarled Dean and Cas took offence to the sudden hostility.

"Because you were throwing a hissy fit and you're behaving like a toddler," he snapped. Why was everyone getting on at him today?

Dean huffed. "I didn't need you to defend me against Anna."

"Right, 'cause you looked like you had everything under control."

"It was a private moment."

"Except for the other twenty people watching you two make a scene."

"It was none of your business!"

"You invited me!"

"I didn't know that Anna was going to drop by!"

Cas rolled his eyes with a bitter laugh. 

"Why are you even with her anyway? She obviously doesn't trust you."

"In case you missed that part, I dumped her. Thanks for that, by the way. If you hadn't stuck your nose in, I probably could have worked it out with her."

Cas' eyes widened at the implication that he was at fault.

"Yeah, sure. You were quite clearly in a very loving relationship with a girl who doesn't trust you not to sleep with your friend who also happens to be a guy. Sounds perfect."

Dean chuckled darkly. "You think you have a say in who I sleep with? Why don't you stay out of my private life? I could've been happy with Anna if you hadn't ruined it for me."

"Oh, come on! She wasn't right for you! She kicked up a fuss because you have friends! That's not a healthy relationship, Dean! You can do so much better!"

"What? You think you could prove better?"

"I know I could!"

"The why haven't you shown me?"

Without really thinking, Cas lunged at Dean. He smashed their lips together and obviously Dean had forgotten that he was straight because he wrapped his arms around Cas and kissed back just as eagerly. 

Cas vaguely recognised that he was being backed up against a tree with Dean's body against his, but he trusted Dean not to hurt him and he lost himself in the taste of Dean's mouth.

Dean moaned quietly when the other boy's tongue brushed against his and he brought one hand up to cup Cas' cheek, gently stroking his thumb over the soft skin. Cas relaxed against Dean's body and his hand wandered into the other boy's sandy hair.

Dean tasted of pine and something distinctly sweet, like honey and Cas never wanted to stop kissing him. He felt Dean's other hand wander to his waist and it lay there protectively, reassuring Castiel that Dean wasn't going to do anything that he was uncomfortable with.

They pulled apart for air and Dean looked slightly dazed and suddenly, Cas felt like he had to make their situation clear.

"I can't do sex," he said hurriedly and Dean raised an eyebrow. Cas continued.

"If you want a relationship with sex, then I can't do this. I'm not going to change my opinion on it, even if I really like you. You can't fix me."

Dean frowned at that and he gently tilted Castiel's chin up to make him look at him.

"You're not broken."

Cas' eyes widened and he pressed his face into Dean's neck, a tiny, relieved sob escaping his mouth.

Dean wrapped his arms tighter around Cas, just holding him close and Castiel felt light kisses being pressed against his hair.

"Are you sure you want this, Cas? It won't be perfect. I will make mistakes."

Castiel smiled into his neck. 

"We both will. I'm sure I want this, I have done for quite a while now." He felt Dean stiffen and then his lips were being attacked once again by Dean's. There was a desperateness to it and Cas shivered at how something that should be innocent could feel so dirty.

When they broke apart, Cas rested their foreheads together.

"I was going to ask whether you wanted this, but after that demonstration..."

Dean laughed and hugged the other boy, a genuine smile on his face.

Cas paused as a thought crossed his mind. "I thought you were straight?"

"As I said, I will make mistakes."

It was enough to wring a startled laugh from Cas and Dean looked sheepish at the sound. It was quiet for a few moments before Cas couldn't help but remember Anna's words from before.

"Is it true that you kept saying my name instead of hers?"

Dean closed his eyes contentedly as he held Cas and he nodded slightly, not wanting to disrupt the peace that had settled.

"I guess that's what Lisa was talking about when she dumped me. She thought I was distracted by somebody else. _You_."

Cas blushed and hid his face back in Dean's neck.

"Why? I've never seen you even remotely interested in another guy. Why me?"

Dean shrugged. "You were the only one besides my brother to take an interest in me as a person and not as the school bully or Captain of the soccer team. You cared enough to make me stand up for what I believe in and not what others tell me I should do. You helped me improve my grades when I couldn't alone and you offered me friendship, where before I'd just had people wanting to be my friend because it made them look good.

"You weren't afraid to stand up to me when others were and you stayed with me because you wanted to, not because you thought you were going to get something out of it. You forgave me for all the horrible things I said about you and to you, even when you had every right to humiliate me when I was at my most vulnerable.

"You were proud of me whenever I achieved and you were interested in me and my hobbies. You didn't make fun of me for liking maths and physics even though I'd made fun of others and you didn't dismiss me as stupid and treat me below your level because I do sports. 

"You made me happy. You made a good impression on my little brother and he loves when you go anywhere with us. You made me realise that I can do the things that I'm interested in and that I don't have to do the things my dad wants me to. You gave me confidence in myself and you told me to stop listening to when my dad called me 'disappointing' or 'screw-up'. 

"You did all these amazing things for me and you never asked for anything in return. I can never thank you enough, Cas."

Cas kissed Dean greedily, as if his life depended on it and they both chose not to acknowledge the couple of tears that fell between them.

They pulled away and Cas buried himself in Dean's chest, revelling in the warmth from Dean's strong arms.

"You've done so much for me and you don't even know it," huffed Cas with a smile and Dean hugged him tighter.

After a moment, Dean nuzzled Cas' hair.

"You're going to have to tell me the boundaries; what you like and what you don't like. I'll warn you now that there will be times I'll have to excuse myself to take care of my ever-thriving libido. You're gorgeous and there'll be times that we may have to stop whatever we're doing so there aren't any incidents."

Cas smirked, but his cheeks were burning at Dean's easy admission. 

"I'll take that as a complement." 

Dean pressed a chaste kiss to his nose and Cas smiled.

"We'll work it out as we go. But for now, I can tell you that I like everything you've done so far. I like you touching me and kissing me. I like being close to you and knowing that you're safe. I like you holding me and I like cuddling up to you... is that enough for now?"

Dean grinned and stole another kiss. 

"Yup."

"...How is your father going to react once he realises that you're not strictly into women?"

Dean shrugged as if he didn't care and he nuzzled Cas' cheek. He couldn't seem to stop touching Cas.

"I'll cross that bridge when I get there. He's not taking this away from me though." He squeezed Cas for emphasis and Castiel's heart fluttered.

"Do you want to keep this a secret from school? I understand if you do," said Cas, already planning how he was going to stop himself from stealing touches and kisses from Dean whilst they were in the presence of their classmates.

Dean shifted from one foot to the other and Cas grew puzzled.

"Actually, I don't." 

Cas raised an eyebrow. "Your reputation will change. Your teammates will bully you for being attracted to men. The girls will begin to wonder if Anna and Lisa were right about you sleeping with me behind their backs. It may even get back to your father."

Dean looked down as if he was embarrassed about what he wanted to say.

"I... kinda want to show you off a little. You're this really amazing guy and for some reason you've decided to pursue me in a relationship and I want to show everyone how lucky I am to have you."

Cas' gaze softened and he was sure he heard his heart squeal in delight.

"Dean..."

Dean's face was scarlet as he refused to look at Cas and Cas decided to show how grateful he was to have someone like Dean.

He pressed their lips together and wound his arms around Dean's neck, mewling when Dean pulled him closer.

"I can't even give you sex and you insist that I'm something straight out of your dreams," whispered Cas and Dean shook his head.

"You want me for me and not for how well hung I am. You _are_ something straight out of my dreams."

Cas couldn't help but tease him.

"Did you wish upon a star for me?"

Dean laughed. "I wished upon a thousand stars for you."

"You're such a soppy romantic."

"You love it."

"I do."


End file.
